Bag tag switching can put your name on luggage you never packed. W5 investigator Avery Haines takes you behind the baggage belt to understand how that substitution happens and what it can mean at customs.
Avery stresses that the identified cases are statistically rare. But for one Toronto traveller heading to Albania with his pregnant wife, the precaution recommended to Canadians became part of the ordeal. He had photographed his bags at Pearson. What did those pictures mean to the officers questioning him?
The other question starts before any suitcase leaves Canada: who gets access to it? Avery’s reporting has prompted proposed security changes, including a screening gap that makes the promise of restricted airport access worth a closer look.
Topics: bag tag switching, checked luggage, overseas arrests, airport employee screening, security clearance
GUEST: Avery Haines | https://www.youtube.com/@OfficialW5/
Originally aired on2026-11-13
